Dawn
by BloodOrangeSoda
Summary: He will learn to stay silent as Raymond and Priscilla grow closer every day, so long as he is able to remain by his Lord Raymond's side. - Not as angsty as it sounds. Post-war ficlet.


**Warnings**: Uhhh... nothing that I can think of. I was surprisingly tame here. Spoilers maybe? Can you spoil a game that's been out for like 10 years?**  
Disclaimer**: Fire Emblem does not belong to me.**  
Notes**: The fifth fic in my series of hooking up Raven with every eligible guy in Fire Emblem. Fluffier than it initially seems.

...

The camp is silent and cold.

It seems odd to Lucius, that the aftermath of such celebration should be so grim. But he supposes they all have their reasons to grieve. For all that they slew Nergal in battle, they lost many lives to his insanity, and now are looking with trepidation to the future. There are countries to be rebuilt nearly from the ground up, and villages full of people who need to be reassured of a brighter future. Lycia lies in ruins.

He doesn't know why he's awake before the dawn sheds new light on the ragtag army. It will all seem brighter in the morning, he knows. But it is not yet morning, and everything seems dim and hopeless yet.

He sits under a tree out of habit, as if his fair skin needs protection from the sun that has yet to rise, and looks out over the camp. Quiet murmurs from a few tents tell him that he's not the only one awake at this hour, but the wind refuses to carry the identities of his fellow early risers to his ears.

He wonders where everyone will go, now. If Wil will follow Rath to Sacae, or if Guy will ever learn that Matthew teases out of more than just polite interest. If Nino can soften the black heart of a killer even more than she already has.

For some, the answer is obvious. He can't imagine Kent and Sain being separated for any length of time, and the whole camp sees the way Hector looks at Florina, possessive and adoring. Not that she minds, of course. And from the way Louise's belly is swelling, they'll barely be home from the war before she and Pent are blessed with a child.

Lucius wonders, unease stirring in his gut, where Raymond will go. The mercenary-turned-hero agreed not to take his revenge on the marquess of Ostia, but has made no promises regarding his intended path now that the war is over. And Lucius has seen the way Raymond and Priscilla have been speaking lately, stilted but sincere. Of course Raymond should go with his sister. It's the right thing to do.

So why does the thought make flames of jealousy erupt in Lucius' chest? He tries not to think about it.

Below him, the camp is beginning to stir to life. Lowen leaves his tent to begin cooking breakfast for the army – not much of an army anymore if they don't have anyone to fight – and the Sacaeans slip out to perform their daily ritual of greeting the sun. Slowly, sunlight filters over the camp, and Lucius' mood lifts as his companions mill around, smiling and talking to each other.

He returns to the tent some minutes later. His face falls when he sees Raymond's empty bedroll, blankets straightened in a vain attempt at making the bed. It's a habit Raymond never managed to break. Lucius doubts Priscilla knows that about him, but there's little victory in the idea. After all, Lucius knows exactly who his lord is with right now, and the thought stirs more jealousy in him than he would like to admit.

He stays in the tent. The thought of eating is not a pleasant one, with his stomach already aching the way it does.

A few hours later, Raymond slips into the tent. "You missed breakfast," he says in that quiet way of his.

"I wasn't hungry," Lucius says, even quieter. "Where were you?"

"Priscilla," Raymond replies vaguely. "She wants to spend time with me."

Lucius could drive himself crazy analyzing that one sentence, but he doesn't have the energy. "Okay."

"The boat for the mainland leaves in an hour. Then we'll be on our way."

Lucius perks up. The question will finally be answered – what is his lord doing when they all go their separate ways? "And where are you planning on going, Lord Raymond?"

Raymond stays silent for a long time. He packs his bag with military efficiency, thoughts visibly whirring behind his eyes. Then he answers, "We go with Priscilla."

And Lucius' hopes shatter, all at once.

...

The army splits up in Badon. It's a time of tearful farewells and long bouts of reminiscing, but reluctantly, groups peel off to begin their journeys home. The three of them travel as far as Castle Ostia with Hector and the rest of the Ostians, and then continue on with Pent and Louise until the border of Etruria. Then the Count Reglay and his wife bid them farewell, and they travel alone.

Raymond buys a horse to hasten their transportation, and he sits behind Lucius, arms cradling him as his strong fighter's hands handle the reins. Lucius wonders how one so close could be so far away, then scolds himself mentally for the angst-ridden thought. He tries not to mope.

The trip is simultaneously too long and not nearly long enough. Every so often the silence is punctuated with idle talk between the siblings, but Lucius doesn't speak and neither Raymond nor Priscilla prompts him too. He can't help but feel bitter about that.

They stop only to eat and sleep, though Lucius would rather slow down and appreciate the sunrises, where the sky is painted in shades of pink and blue. Flowers decorate their path, velvety petals smooth against his skin as he reached down to pluck some, Raymond's arm tight around his waist to ensure he doesn't fall. But Raymond keeps them moving at a brisk pace, and they make such good time to Castle Caerleon that all too soon the towering spires appear off in the horizon.

In the distance, the shape of a castle comes into view. It's a ways off yet, but now Lucius has a physical site to focus his hatred on. He was hoping for more days of travel before coming to their destination, but the journey had to end sometime, he knows.

"Oh look, it's home!" Priscilla says happily.

_Home_, Lucius thinks bitterly. This is not his home, nor Raymond's. He has no attachment to this place, and he doubts he ever will. His home is House Cornwell, just like Raymond.

Every step the horse takes brings them closer to the gates of Castle Caerleon, and every step makes Lucius' heart sink that much more. He does not want to stay here, locked in this cold stone prison. He wants to be free to travel, free to see the world, free to start an orphanage like he always dreamed.

But he can't leave Raymond, no matter how much he knows he will hate it here. He will stay with his lord no matter the cost. So he will learn to stay silent as Raymond and Priscilla grow closer every day, so long as he is able to remain by his Lord Raymond's side.

Finally they arrive at the gates of Castle Caerleon. Lucius takes a deep breath. He already feels like he's drowning, and they're not even inside the castle walls yet. It's for Raymond, he reminds himself. If being with Priscilla makes his lord happy, then he can learn to live with that.

Raymond's voice by his ear startles him. "Will you be safe from here?" He asks Priscilla.

"Oh yes," the girl says, smiling gently. "Thank you for traveling here with me. You didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did," Raymond says flatly, like it wasn't even a question for him. He swings off the horse and approaches Priscilla, taking her reins while she dismounts more delicately.

They embrace.

"I hope Heath knows what a mistake he made, leaving you," Raymond mutters.

She buries her face in his neck. "I just want him to be happy," she says, but her voice shakes.

"Do you? I want him to get stabbed in the kidneys." He says, casual as anything.

"Lord brother!" Priscilla scolds, but she laughs while she says it. They release one another, stepping back. "Visit often, will you please?"

He bows his head in agreement.

"Good. If you don't, I will come to find you, and I shall be quite put out." She threatens.

He nods again, smiling faintly. "I will visit," Raymond promises.

"Thank you." She climbs back on her horse and smiles at Lucius, calling back to him as she rides away, "Farewell, Lucius. Watch over my brother, won't you please? We all know he can't be trusted to take care of himself."

"Of course," his mouth answers with a smile, as his mind boggles over this new development. They're not staying in Etruria. They're not staying with Priscilla. Raymond was only ensuring her safety on the trip from the Dread Isle. They're… together. Just the two of them, and no one else.

"Are you crying?" Raymond asks, his voice tinged with a combination of amusement and concern.

"Shut up," Lucius says, choked up.

Raymond chuckles. He looks up at Lucius, shading his eyes with one hand to protect them from the sun's glare. "You pretty little idiot, did you think we were coming to Etruria to stay?"

"No," Lucius says instantly. Then, when Raymond quirks an eyebrow disbelievingly, he amends, "Well, yes, but how was I supposed to know what you meant? You never said."

Raymond shakes his head. "What, was I supposed to let my sister travel unescorted from the Dread Isle to Castle Caerleon? Not bloody likely."

"I didn't know!" Lucius protests.

"I know," Raymond says softly. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize."

Hearing the apology falling so easily from his lips makes Lucius cry even harder. The war did such good things for the mercenary, and at least part of that was Priscilla's doing, with her warm and gentle presence in Raymond's life. He can't believe he was so jealous of her when she was being such a good sister to his lord. He feels like an idiot.

"Are you alright?" Raymond asks.

Lucius nods, crying too hard to speak, and tries to dismount. Due to his blurred vision, his feet tangle around the stirrups, and he falls forward, arms flailing. Before he can fall far, strong arms catch him around the middle, and he finds himself abruptly enveloped in Raymond's warmth.

The man doesn't release him even when he untangles his feet, just stays looking at him with those penetrating red eyes. He rubs away Lucius' tears with the pad of his thumb while his other arm locks around the bishop's waist. "Don't cry," he says quietly.

"Okay," Lucius agrees without knowing what he's saying yes to. How can he focus when Raymond's looking at him like that, making his head spin and his heart pound in his chest?

Then, slowly, deliberately, Raymond catches Lucius' lips in a kiss. The last thing Lucius sees before his eyes slip closed is Raymond's eyes falling shut at the same time. The hero hitches him closer and deepens the kiss, tracing Lucius' lips with his tongue before tasting his mouth, his teeth, his tongue. Unused to this sudden flush of sensation, the blond moans and wraps his arms around Raymond's neck, arching into him.

Eventually, they part, breathing heavily. "It's you and me, priest," Raymond says with a softness in his eyes that Lucius hasn't seen in 10 years.

Naturally, Lucius bursts into tears again.

"Hey, stop that," Raymond says, frowning.

"Shut up and just let me cry," Lucius says, burying his face into his lord's neck. He smiles.

And when Raymond presses a kiss to the top of his head, he can tell that the hero is smiling back.


End file.
